Saturday, February 11, 2006

I've been waiting for a decent snowfall to post this.We finally got one, so here 'tis.It's snowing in town now.

A good snow. A quiet snow. A happy snow.

A snow that invites you to walk seven extra blocks (actually 12) to the train because you want to. Just to see what the square looks like tonight. To see runners in their special jackets and pants that they only wear when it's snowing. Not just any kind of snowing either. It has to be snowing a certain kind of snow. Happy snow.

Happy snow isn't that cold. It's like regular nighttime air with snow wrapped around it. It doesn't have ice or rain in it. It's just crisp clear winter air with a little extra gift of harmless flakes.

Happy snow is light. It doesn't fall fast or hard. It just floats down, as if it doesn't want to get in anyone's way. It wants to cause as little trouble as possible. It's not slippery. It's almost sticky, like clay. It's a toy from the sky wishing for you to play with it. Make snowballs, a snowman or both ... a SnowMan with SnowBalls.

Folks can walk in happy snow. They do and they enjoy it. When they see others walking in happy snow, they smile, say "Hello" and smile some more. "Isn't this great?" their eyes ask each other. There's no pushing or shoving or honking of cars. "We'll get there when we get there." After all, everyone knows it's snowing.

The night sky is brighter when the snow is happy. It's closer to the ground. Happy snow falls from just above the rooftops so that it doesn't gather too much speed on the way down. Too much velocity would cause the snow too make too much noise upon impact. It would sting people's eyes and ears. Fast falling snow would make an umbrella necessary. How could you enjoy the snow that way? What's the point if you can't see the white braches of the leafless trees, or the little dance the flakes do around the streetlights?